Exisle: sry4.wav Redefines Malta’s Underground with Cloud Rap Debut

"If they ain't make it then I wanna be the first, deep deep down I just wish this dream works." - The opening line of Exisle, sry4.wav’s debut album, sets the tone for a project rooted in ambition and vulnerability. As Malta’s first (and only) cloud rap collective, they’ve made history by crafting a sound that’s dreamlike, somewhat whimsical, and emotionally raw, placing the island on the genre’s global map.

Coming together as a group of Maltese musicians, sry4.wav saw a gap to fill in the local underground scene, quickly finding their niche. As a result, they got picked up by other underground artists such as Kodin Hill, who they opened for at Storeroom, marking their first live gig.

Exisle Cover Art

“The cover art represents the three members of sry4.wav onlooking a tower in a remote island, it kind of represents us onlooking where we'd spend the rest of our lives in exile. The name is a play on words, having two meanings. Ex-isle, as in, ‘used to be from the isle’ (Malta, in this case), and exile as a feeling of us being outcasts and being exiled from society.” - Astris

Production

The album features 7 tracks, produced by fiftyseven, with lyrics and vocals by Astris.

“fiftyseven is a great producer, who listens to feedback and implements changes quickly if needed. He also mixed and mastered the majority of the songs alone, which automatically makes him legendary (Imagine dealing with 17 minutes of my raw vocals).” - Astris

The beats feel intentional and carefully layered, with each sound being deliberate and nothing feeling accidental or out of place. Additionally, Astris uses music and writing as a way to process what goes on around him, and express how it makes him feel,  sending meaningful, raw messages through his lyrics.

“The interlude, for example, talks about the struggle of love. I think that when you keep replaying old memories, it's because you are longing for something within those memories. That song is like a final letter to a lover before the end of a relationship, expressing their need for the relationship to live on despite the other side not wanting to.” - Astris

Archive$ also played a key role in the project, offering valuable feedback on mixes and stylistic choices, from a more detached standpoint as someone not deeply involved in the production.

“That fresh perspective was always insightful and welcome. In general, Archives always is willing to stop whatever he's working on to give a helping hand.” - Astris

Though the album falls under cloud rap, its sound is surprisingly unique, inspired by artists such as Yung Lean, Bladee, BONES, Chris Travis, and Corbin. If these names are familiar to you, you are guaranteed to find some new favourites.

“At the end of the day, this project was more of a proof of concept rather than anything. We just wanted to show that we want to pivot more to making full-length projects, but we're a bit too small for that at the moment. Singles attract more eyes and ears.” - Astris

Exisle is a promising and exciting addition to the Maltese underground music scene, and I look forward to seeing what direction the collective takes both together and as independent artists.

You can stream ‘Exisle’ and sry4.wav’s other projects on all platforms and follow the collective on Instagram @sry4.wav to stay updated.